The
appointment of Christopher S. Ronayne, as the new President of
University Circle Incorporated (UCI) was announced today, November
14, at UCI’s Annual Meeting by R. Thomas Stanton, Chairman of UCI’s
Board of Trustees. Ronayne will lead the 40-member nonprofit
organization’s efforts to continue the development of University Circle
into one of the country’s premier urban districts. Ronayne is only the
seventh president to serve UCI since its founding in 1957. He succeeds
Terri Hamilton Brown, who is stepping down to join National City Bank.
“With more than $1 billion in new construction
recently completed, underway or planned in the Circle, Chris is the
ideal person to take on the presidency of UCI. Under Chris’s leadership
University Circle will be well positioned to capitalize on the economic
opportunities this dynamic growth creates,” said Stanton. “With
Chris’s broad urban planning and city and county government experience,
he will be able to build on the momentum that has been created and
steer the organization toward its goal to make University Circle the
premier urban district in the nation and a continuing and increasingly
important economic engine for Northeast Ohio. Chris will be starting
in early December, which will allow for a smooth transition and enable
UCI to continue moving forward on all of its strategic initiatives,”
added Stanton.
Ronayne has over 15 years experience working in Northeast Ohio. He is stepping down as Chief of Staff for the City of Cleveland. Prior
to that he served as Director, Department of City Planning for the City
and previously held a number of positions with Cuyahoga County.
“I have had the opportunity to work with UCI for a number of years and it’s an organization I have always admired and respected. I'm
ecstatic to be asked to lead UCI and excited to have a role in
leveraging the extraordinary assets of Cleveland's most spectacular
square mile,” said Ronayne. “For me, the position is an ideal mix of
urban planning, physical development, and working with the
organization's stakeholders and community to create a dynamic, vibrant
future for the Circle.”
Ronayne has been recognized for his dedicated efforts by receiving a number of notable honors, including the 2005 American
Institute of Architects Planning Achievement Award for “Connecting
Cleveland, the Waterfront District Plan” and the 2004 Dean’s
Distinguished Alumni Award from Cleveland State University Levin
College of Urban Affairs. Ronayne serves on the boards of Gateway
Economic Development Corporation, Downtown Cleveland Partnership, and
Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency (NOACA.) He received a
bachelor’s degree in business administration from Miami University and
a master’s degree in Urban Planning Design and Development from
Cleveland State University‘s Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban
Affairs. Ronayne, 37 years old, was born in Chicago and has lived in
Cleveland for the last 26 years.